Q&A: The Hanngry Italian AKA Courtney Moretti
A Sydney-raised dietitian and freelance baker took a trip around Australia … and didn’t make it past Tassie before putting down roots. For her devoted community of sourdough fans, it’s a turn of events that - ahem - proved to be very good news indeed.
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Courtney Moretti at The Butter Bread Fridge (image supplied)
Where are you from, and how did you end up here at the bottom of the world?
I grew up in western Sydney, later moving to Wollongong to study dietetics. I worked in Sydney and Wollongong after graduating, before my partner and I decided in 2023 to travel around Australia for a year. Our first stop was Tassie, and - despite all of our plans to make it around the whole country - we ended up staying down here for five months.
We spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle in Franklin, and fell in love with the region south of Hobart. We’d trawl the local real estate listings, and eventually went to an open home for a property on 11 acres in Crabtree. As soon as we walked into the house, we knew it was the one for us.
We furnished and lived in the house for a short time, before eventually leaving the island to finish our trip around the country. We spent time in South and Western Australia, and it just embedded for us that we’d made the right decision by buying in Tassie. It’s so beautiful and accessible, and to have bought the kind of house that we did anywhere else in Australia would have demanded an hours-long commute into the city, rather than just 30 minutes.
We officially moved back in August 2024, and we don’t plan on going anywhere - we’re here for good!
What inspired you to study and work in dietetics?
When I was younger, I had a tricky relationship with food. The diet culture was so loud - there was so much noise about what you should and shouldn’t be eating. I think this probably fuelled my initial interest in the field of dietetics, but once I started my studies, I discovered this world where it wasn’t all about diets, but rather about working with people to support them on whatever journey they may be on. It’s often about debunking a lot of the diet stuff, nurturing positive relationships with food, and building up the strength and trust to know what our bodies need to function at their best.
Along with practising as a dietitian, you’re a hugely successful freelance baker, selling out of your roadside bread fridge every Friday. Are those two worlds connected?
Very much so! For a long time, we’ve been told that carbs are bad for you. I think that’s why I’ve been so drawn to bread - it’s a way of sharing that you don’t need to cut it out; you just need to cut it up and eat it.
I also think it’s important that we don’t villainise certain breads and hold others up as the only “good” ones. I happen to bake sourdough, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily better for you. Whatever is accessible, realistic and helpful for keeping you fuelled is the best choice.
You’ve grown your baking business to now filling two fridges every Friday with loaves, pull-apart bread, cookies, cinnamon buns and more. What does a week in baking look like for you?
I do all of my online produce ordering on a Sunday night or Monday, and get pre-orders up on my website and socials for those who like to order ahead. I feed my sourdough starter, put aside the discard for cookies, and then continue to build up my starter over the rest of the week.
I work as a dietitian in South Hobart on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I’ll often drop into Eumarrah on my way home mid-week to pick up more beautiful produce.
Thursday is a big day. I get up at 6am to light the fire and start up the heater in our home’s studio space, which I’ve converted into my “Bread Shed”. I mix all of the bread and make the cookies in the morning, then spend the afternoon shaping loaves, and mixing the cinnamon buns. It’s a 12-hour day with very little opportunity to stop.
Fridays start even earlier - I need to be up by 5:30am to get the ovens on and warming up for bake time. In the meantime, I bake the cookies in a separate oven, and make the finishing touches to the cinnamon buns before they prove. Once the oven is hot enough, I start baking the bread. The oven has capacity for 9-12 loaves at once, and I’m typically making up to 50 loaves every Friday, so it takes a good three or four hours to bake them all.
I get everything packed into the fridges by midday, and then I kind of crash! I’ll have some lunch, clean the shed, and then switch off for the weekend, before it all starts up again.
Your bakes consistently sell out every Friday. Why do you think what you’re doing resonates so deeply with your local community?
I think it’s about food experiences and food memories. It’s actually something that I talk to clients about a lot when they’re relearning their relationships with food - building food experiences that are different, fun, and a bit magical.
I met one of my beautiful pre-order customers recently. She orders every week without fail, detouring out to the fridge on her way back to her place in Cygnet after picking up her daughters from school in Huonville. For her, it’s just a really nice part of the day that she can have for herself, and then share with her kids. It’s such a privilege for me to be part of someone’s day in that way.
Your bakes are obviously in high demand - do you have any plans to increase your output?
I never set out to be a baker - it was just something to do during Covid lockdown that I happened to fall in love with. I’d like to continue baking, but also to channel that passion and energy into teaching others to do it themselves.
When I first converted the studio at our home into the Bread Shed, my partner bought me a beautiful big table with the goal of having people learning around it one day. People tell me that I need to open my own bakery, but I’d really like to open the space I already have - no judgement, no diet talk, just the opportunity to learn something new and enjoy the experience together.
Courtney and partner Michael at a local market (image supplied)
As a south-of-Hobart local, where are your favourite eats and drinks in the Huon Valley region?
Cinnamon and Cherry in Franklin is such a special place, run by a beautiful family and serving delicious Turkish food that always hits the spot. And I’ll never go past the spinach and feta roll or bolognaise meat pie at Summer Kitchen in Ranelagh.
Where’s your favourite Tasmanian destination to get away to for a staycation?
Derby. It’s so well-known for its mountain biking culture, but it really has everything. There’s so many walks you can do, or you can spend an afternoon in the sauna, or you can just lounge around. As dog people, my partner and I also love how dog-friendly it is, including at the pub!
What are three must-dos for every visitor to Lutruwita/Tasmania?
You must visit the Bruny Baker Bread Fridge at Alonnah on Bruny Island - it’s an institution for a reason. For outdoor enthusiasts, I recommend the Hartz Peak hike in the southwest for incredible panoramic views. And the Sunday morning ritual of Farm Gate Market, of course, with a focus on picking up fresh produce and baked goods!
